Friday, March 29, 2024

You Know Trello and Asana but How About Smartsheet?

Much has been written about Trello and Asana, including here at ProjectManagers.net. But have you thought much about the app Smartsheet? It’s another project management app that offers you an alternative.

Smartsheet promotes itself as: “The Project & Collaboration Tool for Businesses of All Sizes” with these features:

  • Work your way in a flexible spreadsheet format.
  • Manage any kind of work with one centralized tool – from simple projects to complex processes.
  • From individuals to enterprise companies, Smartsheet is used to manage thousands of different types of work.”

PC World took a look at it in a recent review and was overall favorable to the software. “If Trello is too visual for you, and Asana seems a bit overwhelming, considerSmartsheet. This project management app takes a spreadsheet-like approach to organization that just may be the perfect fit for you,” it said.

The review also pointed out, “Anyone who’s ever used a spreadsheet will feel right at home with Smartsheet. You organize projects into sheets, which can be formatted using one of the many templates or outlines that Smartsheet provides, covering everything from event planning to a product launch with Gantt (a type of bar chart used to show a project’s schedule). If none of Smartsheet’s templates work for you, you can use one of its basic layouts and customize to your liking.”

The review was mostly favorable, with the key word being mostly. “It is a robust project management app that straightforward business folks will appreciate, but it does lack the built-in collaboration of Asana and the simple, visual appeal of Trello,” PC World said.

Previously, we’ve covered the “Pros and Cons of Trello.” Among the highlights, “Trello was the winner in the areas of benefits and cost. With regard to the latter, BusinessBee.com said, ‘Trello’s pricing structure is less complex than Basecamp’s, and it offers a free version that allows you to enjoy unlimited members, boards, organizations, and cards.” Trello was singled out for in benefits for being “adaptable and highly visual. It works on a three-tier information system that’s easy to understand: Boards, Lists, and Cards.’”

We have also looked at the benefits of Asana too. Our article said, “Asana allows managers to create multiple to-do lists, including one for every employee. Objectives can be added, given deadlines and then updated with only a few commands. Additionally, the app makes it easy to find specific items as users can search for terms instead of reading through every file. For a cost perspective, Asana is a solid deal for most teams as its free for individual use and groups of up to 30 members. The app is also available for iOS devices.”

Interestingly, according to Reuters, Smartsheet is one of the apps that played a role in Microsoft deciding to offer its Office suite of applications for the iPad “for free instead of paying for a subscription, in a bid to capture more mobile users.”

The article (via Niagra Falls Review) said, “Microsoft’s Office suite is still the gold standard for work applications on the PC, but easy to use, touch-friendly work apps like Haiku Deck, Quip, Smartsheet and Evernote, plus a full range of Google Apps, have quickly gained a following among younger users who regularly create and consume content on mobile devices.”

What’s been your experience with Smartsheet? Share your thoughts below in the comment section.

 

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